Chapter 13 - The Agreement
Vanessa had signed a confidentiality agreement when North Vale began consulting for Mercer Development.
Ryan thought that meant her cooperation with police could be buried.
Dana almost enjoyed explaining why he was wrong.
"An NDA does not shield criminal conduct," she said. "He knows that. He's trying to scare her."
But the agreement contained something else.
A schedule of "strategic performance bonuses" tied to company milestones.
One bonus paid Vanessa two million dollars if Ryan obtained majority voting control before the next annual meeting.
Another paid five hundred thousand if I "ceased active participation" in management for at least sixty days.
The wording was cold enough to make my skin crawl.
"He monetized my disappearance," I said.
Dana nodded.
"And Vanessa signed it."
Ortiz obtained a warrant for Ryan's personal cloud account.
That evening, they found a folder named TRANSITION.
Inside were draft divorce papers dated three months earlier.
A press release announcing my leave of absence.
A board memo describing me as medically exhausted.
And a letter to investors praising Ryan for "stepping forward during a family crisis."
The crisis hadn't happened yet when he wrote it.
He had prepared the story before the fall.
But the worst file was a calendar.
On the day I discovered the affair, Ryan had scheduled a private meeting with two doctors for the following week.
Both specialized in capacity evaluations.
Neither had ever treated me.
"He was building a paper trail," Dana said.
I felt suddenly tired beyond words.
Then a nurse entered carrying a sealed envelope.
"Someone left this at the desk for you."
No return address.
Inside was a single printed photograph.
It showed Ryan standing beside the fire pit after the ambulance left.
In his hand was the memory card.
On the back, someone had written:
HE DIDN'T BURN EVERYTHING.
Maya turned the photo over again.
"Who took this?"
I looked at the angle.
It came from inside the house.
May you like
From the upstairs landing.
Someone else had been there.
